Welcome To The Hellmouth Rewritten
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: So, I am rewriting every single episode of Buffy, with one slight change – Jenny Calendar killed off in Passion, season 2 episode 17 will be in every single one. Don't like it, don't read it. That simple. S1E1
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, I am rewriting every single episode of Buffy, with one slight change – Jenny Calendar (killed off in Passion, season 2 episode 17) will be in every single one. Don't like it, don't read it. That simple.**

In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

In the night, Sunnydale High School stands. In the Science classroom, there are rows of desks and a counter. On the counter there are various items such as a skeleton, some vertebrae, jars of unknown objects in formaldehyde, a skull, and a microscope.

A fist punched through a windowpane and reached in to undo the clasp. It's a boy and a girl, sneaking into the school.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked the girl.

"It's a great idea, now come on," replies the boy.

The two crawl in, exit the classroom, and walk down the hall.

"Do you go to school here?" The girl asked another question.

"I used to," the boy replied. "On top of the gym it's so cool. You can see the whole town." He continued walking down the hall, but the girl stopped him close to the intersection.

"I-I-I-I don't wanna go up there."

"Aw, you can't wait, huh?" the boy teased.

"We're just gonna get in trouble," the girl tried reasoning with him.

"Yeah, you can count on it." It didn't appear to be a big issue with him.

The two nearly kiss, when suddenly the girl is startled. She drew in a quick breath and turned her head to look down the hall. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Whatever the girl had heard, or thought she had, the boy hadn't.

"I heard a noise."

"It's nothing!" The boy obviously didn't like the interruption.

"Uh-uh, maybe it's something." The girl appeared to be even more scared.

"Or maybe it's some _thing_," the boy teased. He sure liked teasing.

"That's not funny!" the girl snapped.

The boy looked down the other hall. "Hellooooo!" He called out, as if anyone or anything that would be lurking there would respond. "There's nobody here," he assured her.

"Are you sure?" the girl asks. She looks away. Once she's sure he can't see, her face morphs into that belonging to a vampire.

"Yes, I'm sure." The boy was unknowing of his fate, still believing he's taking his girl out for a little harmless excitement.

"Okay." She turned back to face him, her vampire face clearly visible now. She growled and hastily bit him. The boy grunts in pain as the two sink to the floor.

In Buffy's room, in the morning, the young girl laid in bed, having a fit of nightmares. The nightmares contained visions of the Master's lair, the cemetery, the Master, vampires, other demons, and various events and artifacts. She woke with a start.

"Buffy?" Her mother called to her from another room.

"I'm up, Mom!" Buffy called back while sitting up.

"Don't wanna be late for your first day!" She was referring to Buffy's first day at a new high school.

"No…Wouldn't want that," Buffy murmured. She was talking to herself. She obviously wasn't too thrilled about the new school idea. But what could she do?

Buffy's mother pulled up in her Jeep at Sunnydale High, ready to drop her daughter off. "Okay!" Buffy got out of the car. "Have a good time. I know you're gonna make friends right away, just think positive." She gave Buffy a thumbs up – just doing her motherly job.

Buffy looked through the open car door and gave her mother a quick nod. She turned to go and closed the door behind her.

"And honey?"

Buffy looked back at her mother again.

"Try not to get kicked out?"

Like that was a boost to her confidence. Still, she replied, "I promise."

"Okay."

Buffy faced the school and took a deep breath while her mother drove off.

Xander bobbed and weaved through the crowded school grounds on his skateboard. "'Scuse me, comin' through, pardon me, 'scuse me, whoa! 'Scuse me, not sure how to stop! Please move, whoa, 'scuse me…" He noticed Buffy. "Whoa." He stared at her and didn't notice that he was heading right towards the stair railing. He crashed into it and fell beneath it, grunting in pain. "God!"

Willow walked up, having to step high to avoid tripping over his legs.

"I'm okay. I feel good." Xander was using his usual sarcasm to ease the pain.

Willow looked down at him, smiling and pulling her hair behind her ear.

Xander finally took notice of his friend. "Willow! You're so very much the person that I wanted to see!" He got to his feet.

"Oh, really?" Willow asked, intrigued.

The two walked towards the school.

"Yeah. You know, I kinda had a problem with the math." He could always count on his trusty nerd-like friend to help him out.

"Uh, which part?"

"The math. Can you help me out tonight, pleeeease, be my study buddy?"

"Well…" Her voice was coy. "What's in it for me?"

"A shiny nickel!" He was always prone to crack jokes.

"Okay. Do you have 'Theories in Trig'? You should check it out."

"Check it out?" It was as if the concept was foreign to him.

"From the library?" Since Xander still looked clueless, she added, "Where the books live."

A lightbulb finally went off in his head. "Right, I'm there!" He changed the subject. "See, I wanna change. . ."

Moments later, the third member that was of the three musketeers joined them, just inside the school's door. "Hey, hey!" It was Jesse, Willow and Xander's longtime friend.

"Hey, Jesse, what's up?" Xander greeted.

"New girl!"

"That's right, I saw her." He decided to leave out the part about him crashing into the stairwell railing. "Pretty much a hottie!"

"I heard someone was transferring…" Willow muttered.

"So tell!" Xander was determined to pump Jesse for information.

"Tell what?"

"What's the sitch, what do ya know about her?"

"New girl!" That was helpful.

"Well, you're certainly a font of nothing!" Xander still didn't know anything about her.

In Principal Flutie's office, Buffy is seated. Principal Flutie has her school records in hand, walking around the desk to his chair while looking them over.

"Buffy Summers, sophomore, late of Hemery High in Los Angeles. Interesting record, quite a career…" He murmurs. He sits and takes the paper he's reading and tears it into four pieces. "Welcome to Sunnydale! A clean slate, Buffy, that's what you get here. What's past is past. We're not interested in what it says on a piece of paper, even if it says..." His eyes wander. "Whoa."

"Mr. Flutie-"

"All the kids here are free to call me Bob."

"Bob-"

"But they don't." He started to reassemble the torn sheet.

"I know my transcripts are a little... colorful."

"Heeey... We're not caring about that. Do you think, uh, 'colorful' is the word?" He taped the paper. "Not, uh, 'dismal'?"

"Wasn't _that_ bad!"

"You burned down the gym."

Buffy exhaled. "I did, I really did, but... You're not seeing the big picture here, I mean, that gym was full of vampi-" Almost gave herself away. She quickly corrected herself. "Asbestos."

"Buffy, don't worry. Any other school they might say 'watch your step', or 'we'll be watching you'... But, that's just not the way _here_. We want to service your needs, and help you to respect our needs. And if your needs and our needs don't mesh..." He put the poorly repaired sheet back into her file and slaps it shut.

Buffy gives him a thin, nervous smile.

Buffy exited Mr. Flutie's office. She opened her bag, rummaging through it as she walked into the hall right in front of a girl and a boy. The girl bumped into her, making her lose her grip on the bag and spill its contents.

"Oh! Sorry!" Buffy apologized.

"That's okay."

Buffy looked down at the mess. "Oh…"

Xander heard the noise, looked back, quickly walked over and squatted down next to her to help her gather her things. "Can I have you?"

Buffy gave him a confused look.

"Duh..." He chuckled. "Can I help you?"

Buffy smiled. "Thanks."

"I don't know you, do I?" He could play it cool. Sometimes.

"I'm Buffy. I'm new."

"Xander. Is-is me. Hi." He smiled. This was not one of those times where he could play it cool.

"Um, thanks."

They finished gathering up everything.

"Well, uh, maybe I'll see you around... maybe at school... since we... both... go there." He was completely failing with words that day. He was totally falling.

"Great!"

The two stand.

"It was nice to meet you," Buffy stated. She started down the hall.

Xander mocked himself, unimpressed, "We both go to school. Very suave. Very not pathetic." He noticed a stake still on the floor. "Oh, hey!" He picked it up. "Hey, you forgot your…stake."

Buffy didn't hear him and continued down the hall. Xander held onto the stake.

Inside the History class, the teacher has written 'The Black Death' on the board. The teacher turns to the class. "It's estimated that about twenty-five million people died in that one four-year span. But the fun part of the Black Plague is that it originated in Europe how?"

Cordelia took notes. So did Buffy, seated next to her.

The teacher continued on, "As an early form of germ warfare. If you'll look at the map on page sixty-three you can trace the spread of the disease into Rome, and then north... "

Buffy didn't have a book. She looked around for help. Cordelia noticed and shared her book.

"Thanks," Buffy thanked Cordelia quietly.

The teacher still carried on teaching. "And this popular plague led to what social changes? Steve?"

The bell rang and the students got up to leave.

"Hi! I'm Cordelia." Cordelia introduced herself to Buffy, offering her hand.

Buffy accepted it. "I'm Buffy."

"If you're looking for a textbook of your very own there's probably a few in the library."

"Oh, great, thanks."

They got up.

"Where would that be?" Buffy asked.

"I'll show you, come on."

Cordelia and Buffy headed out of the classroom. "So you're from Hemery, right? In L.A.?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh, I would _kill_ to live in L.A. That close to that many shoes?"

Buffy had to laugh as they went into the hall.

Cordelia and Buffy were still in the hall.

Cordelia prattled, "Well, you'll be okay here. If you hang with me and mine, you'll be accepted in no time. Of course, we do have to test your coolness factor. You're from L.A., so you can skip the written, but let's see. Vamp nail polish?"

"Um, over?" Buffy didn't mind the test, though she honestly didn't care what her 'coolness factor' came out to be.

"So over. James Spader?"

"He needs to call me!"

"Frappaccinos?"

"Trendy, but tasty."

"John Tesh?" There were many factors to discover the coolness factor.

"The Devil."

"That was pretty much a gimme, but... you passed!" Test over.

"Oh, goody!" Not that it mattered.

They turned toward a drinking fountain. Willow was there. She straightened up and saw them coming.

"Willow! Nice dress! Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears." Cordelia talking.

"Uh, oh, well, my mom picked it out."

"No wonder you're such a guy magnet. Are you done?"

Willow looked at the fountain, then back at Cordelia. "Oh!" She turned and left.

Buffy watched her go for a moment, then looked back at Cordelia after she started talking again.

"You wanna fit in here, the first rule is: know your losers. Once you can identify them all by sight," She glanced after Willow. "They're a lot easier to avoid."

Buffy let out a nervous laugh and nodded. She looked at Willow again, who had gone through the door at the end of the hall. Willow looked back at them before she continued.

Cordelia and Buffy continued their walk to the library.

"And if you're not too swamped with catching up you should come by the Bronze tonight."

"The who?" Buffy had no clue what that was.

"The Bronze. It's the only club worth going to around here. They let anybody in, but it's still the scene. It's in the bad part of town."

"Where's that?" Buffy stopped outside the library doors.

"About a half a block from the good part of town." Cordelia laughed. "We don't have a whole lot of town here. But, um, you should show!"

"Well, I'll try." She wasn't promising anything. She looked toward the library. "Uh, thanks."

"Good. So, um, I'll see you in gym, and you can tell me absolutely everything there is to know about you." Cordelia waved and left.

Buffy waved back. "Great!" To herself, a bit sarcastic, she said, "Oh, that sounds like fun." She went into the library and looked around. It looked deserted. "Hello?" She walked further inside. "Is anybody here?" She looked at the book checkout counter and saw a newspaper. A picture had been circled. The caption above it read, 'Local Boys Still Missing'.

Giles came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

Buffy spun around, startled. "Ooh!" She exhaled. "Anybody's here!"

"Can I help you?" Giles asked.

"I was looking for some, well, books. I'm new."

"Miss Summers?"

"Good call! Guess I'm the only new kid, huh?"

"I'm Mr. Giles. The librarian. I was told you were coming." He headed around behind the counter.

A new voice startled Buffy. "Don't mind his apparent creepiness. He's really not as scary as he seems." The woman joined Giles behind the counter. "I'm Ms. Calendar, technology teacher."

Buffy nodded, calming. "Great! So, um, I'm gonna need 'Perspectives on 20th Century-'"

Giles interrupted, "I know what you're after!" With a big grin on his face he pulled out a large old book with the word "VAMPYR" written in gold leaf on the front cover.

Buffy looked up at him with an uneasy gaze.

Ms. Calendar facepalmed. She'd told him not to do that. He just didn't listen. "As I said, don't mind him."

"That's not what I'm looking for," Buffy stated.

"Are you sure?"

Ms. Calendar rolled her eyes. It were as if she weren't even there. She did notice that missy Slayer didn't seem to realize she was missy Slayer, though. If only that damned librarian would acknowledge her!

"I'm _way_ sure." Buffy answered.

"My mistake," Giles was confused. He put the book back behind the counter.

Buffy quickly left.

Giles straightened back up. "So, what is it you said-" He saw her go out of the library. The first encounter left him puzzled.

"Earth to Watcher, am I talking to myself here?" Ms. Calendar waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hm?"

"Don't make me clock you upside the head with one of your books, Rupert. She-" She gestured towards the library door, which had served as Buffy's exit. "Is the Slayer. _She _doesn't know it…Since when am I the smarter one?"

All Giles had to say was, "Oh."

Two girls in the locker room were discussing Buffy.

"The new kid? She seems kind of weird to me. What kind of name is Buffy?"

"Hey, Aphrodisia!"

"Oh, Hey!"

"Well, the chatter in the caf is that she got kicked out, and that's why her mom had to get a new job."

The girls worked the combinations to their gym lockers.

"Neg!"

"Pos! She was starting fights!"

"Neg-ly!"

The one named Aura spoke while opening her locker, "Well I heard from Blue, and she said that-"

A dead boy fell out of the locker onto Aura's arm. She screamed and let the body fall.


	2. Chapter 2

At school, Willow was sitting on a bench in front of a wall, taking out her lunch.

Buffy approached her. "Uh, hi! Willow, right?"

Willow looked up. "Why? I-I mean, hi! Uh, did you want me to move?"

"Why don't we start with, 'Hi, I'm Buffy,' and, uh, then let's segue directly into me asking you for a favor." Buffy sat next to Willow. "It doesn't involve moving, but it does involve hanging out with me for a while."

"But aren't you hanging out with Cordelia?"

"I can't do both?"

"Not legally."

Buffy exhaled. "Look, I really wanna get by here-new school-and... Cordelia's been really nice... to me... anyway, but, um, I kinda have this burning desire not to flunk all my classes, and I heard a rumor that you were the person to talk to if I wanted to get caught up."

"Oh, I could _totally_ help you out! Uh, if you have sixth period free we could meet in the library?" Willow went from scared to excited. She liked helping people.

"Or not. Or we could meet some place quieter. Louder. Uh, that place just kinda gives me the wiggins."

"Oh, it has that effect on most kids. I love it, though, it's a great collection, and the new librarian is really cool. Was the technology teacher there?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?"

"She is totally crushing on the librarian. We all know it. Can't imagine why…and I did not just say that, okay?"

Buffy laughed. "Okay." Techie teacher crushing on weirdo. Fine with her. "Wait, did you say the librarian is new?"

"Yup. He just started…though that obviously doesn't matter much to Ms. C. He was a curator at some British museum, or, or _The_ British Museum, I'm not sure. But he knows everything, and he brought all these historical volumes and biographies, and am I the single dullest person alive?"

"Not at all."

Xander hopped up onto the wall behind the girls and sat on it between them. Jesse stood in front of them and dropped his bag.

"Hey!" Jesse greeted.

"You guys busy? Are we interrupting? We're interrupting." Nervous Xander. He tossed his bag to Jesse.

"Hey!" Buffy greeted.

"Hey!" Willow.

"Hey there!" Jesse dropped Xander's bag next to his own.

Willow introduced them, "Buffy, this is Jesse and that's Xander."

"Oh, me and Buffy go waaay back, old friends, very close. Then there's that period of estrangement where I think we were both growing as people, but now here we are, like old times, I'm quite moved."

"Is it me, or are you turning into a bibbling idiot?" Jesse asked Xander.

"No, it's, uh, it's not you."

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys, I think." Buffy said.

Xander jumped down to retrieve the stake from his bag.

"Well, you know, we wanted to welcome ya, make ya feel at home, unless you have a scary home..." Jesse replied.

"And to return this." Xander held up the stake. "The only thing I can think is that you're building a really little fence." He handed it to her.

Buffy took it, did her best to cover. "Hah, no, um, a-a-actually it was for self-defense. Everyone has them in L.A. Pepper spray is just so passé."

Xander spewed questions, "So what do you do for fun? What do you like? What do you look for in a man? Let's hear it."

"If you have any dark, painful secrets you'd like us to publish?" Jesse added.

"Gee, everyone wants to know about me. How keen," Buffy remarked.

"Well, not much goes on in a one Starbucks town like Sunnydale," Xander explained. "You're pretty big news."

"I'm not. Really." Buffy didn't want to be different. What was the point of going to a new school if she was still going to be the different one?

Cordelia interrupted them, "Are these guys bothering you?"

"Uh, no!"

"She's not hanging out with us," Willow helped.

Jesse moved to stand next to Cordelia. "Hey! Cordelia!"

"Oh, please!" Cordelia scoffed at him. She geared her next words to Buffy, "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility, but I just wanted to tell you that you won't be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with the chest hair, because gym was canceled due to the _extreme_ dead guy in the locker."

"What?" This could not be happening. Not again. Not to Buffy, _again_.

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked.

"Some guy was stuffed in Aura's locker!" Cordelia repeated.

"Dead." Buffy's voice was almost monotone.

"Totally dead. Way dead," Cordelia confirmed.

"It's not just a little dead, then?" Xander joked.

"Don't you have an elsewhere to be?" Cordelia asked.

"Y'know, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just to nibble on..." Jesse was still putting the moves on Cordelia.

"How did he die?" Buffy asked. This was important.

"I don't know." Why would Cordelia know? She didn't pay attention to these things.

"Well, were there any marks?" Buffy tried to bear with her. She didn't understand the importance of the situation.

"Morbid much! I didn't ask!" Cordelia was second-guessing on hanging out with that girl.

Looking at everyone, Buffy stated, "Um, I gotta book. I'll, I'll see you guys later." She grabbed her things and left.

Cordelia stared after her. "What's her deal?"

Outside the gym, Buffy snuck up to an outside entrance. Locked. She used her strength to break the door and went in, looking around to make sure no one saw her. Once inside the locker room, she found the body and pulled back the sheet. She saw a vampire bite. "Oh, great."

Buffy stormed into the library. "Okay, what's the sitch?"

Giles was in the stacks. "Sorry?"

"You'll have to date your terminology a bit for him to understand," Ms. Calendar quipped. She was sitting at the conference table, typing on a laptop.

Buffy started to retort with something along the lines of 'don't you have a job?', but that would be rude, and uncalled for, so she jumped right into business. "You heard about the dead guy, right? The dead guy in the locker?"

"Here we go," Ms. Calendar murmured under her breath.

Giles stepped into the light. "Yes."

Buffy plopped her bag on the conference table and headed up the stairs.

"No, Slayer, no one else is using the table." Another under breath murmur from Ms. Calendar.

"'Cause, it's the weirdest thing. He's got two little, little holes in his neck, and all his blood's been drained." Buffy meets him on the stairs. "Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going, 'ooh'?"

Ms. Calendar couldn't resist. "Ooh."

Giles and Buffy looked at her.

"What? I can have fun, can't I?"

"Sorry, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Buffy couldn't hold it in any longer. "Like class? I'm kinda having a private conversation, here."

"She can hear whatever we talk about. She's with me."

Ms. Calendar visibly perked at that.

"So I heard," Buffy muttered. She rolled her eyes and looked at Giles once more.

Getting back to the earlier topic, Giles stated, "I was afraid of this."

"Well, _I _wasn't! It's my first day! I was afraid that I was gonna be behind in all my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus. And I don't care."

"Then why are you here?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"To tell you that – well, actually, him... I don't care, which... I don't, and... have now told you, so... bye." Buffy turned away to go.

"Is he, w-will he... rise again?" Giles asked.

Buffy turned back. "Who?"

"The boy," Ms. Calendar answered for him. She closed her laptop and moved over to them.

"No. He's just dead," Buffy replied.

Giles watched as Ms. Calendar join them. She must know she makes him really lose concentration and fumble, if not, why was she there in her spare time? Trying to focus, he asked Buffy, "Can you be sure?"

"To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood. And then you have to suck their blood. It's like a whole big sucking thing. Mostly they're just gonna kill you. Why am I still talking to you?" Buffy turned and went down the stairs.

Giles moved over to the railing. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you? You think it's coincidence, your being here? That boy was just the beginning."

"Oh, why can't you people just leave me alone?" Buffy whined.

"Because you are the Slayer," Ms. Calendar answered, walking down the stairs. "Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt-"

Buffy interrupted her, "With the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil blah, blah, blah... I've heard it, okay?"

"I really don't understand this attitude," Giles stated, moving down next to Ms. Calendar. "You, you've accepted your duty, you, you've slain vampires before...Not to mention you are being outrageously rude to a teacher you will have next semester."

"Yeah, and I've both been there and done that, and I'm moving on. And I don't mean to be, but it's going to happen when you gang up on me like that."

"What do you know about this town?" Ms. Calendar asked. She wasn't even going to comment on the 'ganging up on' part.

Giles walked into his office.

"It's two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus?"

"Dig a bit in the history of this place. You'll find a, a steady stream of fairly odd occurrences. Now, I believe this whole area is a center of mystical energy," Giles returned to them, carrying four books. "That things gravitate towards it, that, that, that you might not find elsewhere." His stuttering always managed to flare up when Ms. Calendar was around. He sat the books on the table.

Buffy thought it very creepy how well the two worked together. She pushed it out of her mind. "Like vampires." She was trying to act unimpressed.

Giles put the volumes into Buffy's arms one by one, listing off various monsters and demons. "Like zombies, werewolves, incubi, succubi, everything you've ever dreaded was under your bed, but told yourself couldn't be by the light of day. They're all real!"

"What? You, like, sent away for the Time-Life series?"

"Ah, w-w-w-yes."

Buffy hadn't quite been expecting that. "Did you get the free phone?"

"Um, the calendar." He glanced over at Ms. Calendar as he said that. The smirk she was giving him made him blush and look away.

"Cool! But, okay," Buffy gave him the books back. "first of all, I'm a Vampire Slayer. And secondly, I'm retired. Hey, I know! Why don't you and Tomb Raider here kill 'em?"

Hey, Ms. Calendar thought defensively. I don't dress that slutty…do I?

"I-I'm a Watcher, I-I haven't the skill...a-and sh-she…isn't violent."

"Oh, come on, stake through the heart, a little sunlight... It's like falling off a log."

"A, a Slayer slays, a Watcher-"

"Watches?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. No!" Giles sat the books down. "He, he trains her, he, he, he

prepares her-"

"He shags the technology teacher on the side…"

Ms. Calendar's eyes widened and she brushed past them, exiting the library. What the hell had she done to her?

"Come on, what do you prepare me for? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead! Prepare me."

Giles' eyes trailed after Ms. Calendar. He hoped she was okay – Buffy had been harsh.

Giles and Buffy looked at each other for a moment. Buffy exhaled, turned, and left the library in disgust.

Giles hesitated for an instant. "Damn!" He was cursing multiple things. He looked at the clock. He knew Ms. Calendar's next class would start soon. He would have to apologize for Buffy later. He could still bring Buffy to her senses, though. He ran after Buffy.

Xander walked out from behind the stacks. "What?"

Giles caught up with Buffy in the hall. "It's getting worse!"

"What's getting worse?" Buffy asked.

Giles guided her over to the wall and spoke to her in a low voice, "The influx of the undead, the... supernatural occurrences, it's been building for years. There's a reason why you're here and a reason why it's now!"

"Because now is the time my mom moved here," Buffy insisted. She tried to evade him, but he put his arm out to stop her.

"Something's coming, something, something... something is, is gonna happen here. Soon!"

"Gee, can you vague that up for me?" Buffy sneered sarcastically.

"The signs, as far as I can tell, point to a crucial mystical upheaval, very soon. Days. Possibly less."

"Oh, come on! This is Sunnydale! How bad an evil can there be

here?"

In the lair of the Master, there are candles everywhere. Vampires bearing torches gathered.

Luke chants, "The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake. The sleeper will wake, and the world will bleed. Amen!"


	3. Chapter 3

Ms. Calendar's classroom, after school. Giles stood by the door, and tapped on the frame.

Ms. Calendar opened it shortly after the knock. "Yes?" She propped her head against the indoor frame.

"A-Are you…er, are you alright?" Even if there had been space available, he wasn't sure he would have stepped into the classroom.

"Um, yeah. Swamped with assignments to grade, but yeah, I'm alright."

"I'd u-um…I just want to a-apologize for how Buffy t-treated you earlier."

"Oh, that?" She shrugged. "Teenagers will be teenagers. I'm used to it."

"You-you seemed upset."

"Yeah…let me inform you on modern human emotions. We get hurt, we cool off, we get over it. I'm over it. Like I said, I'm swamped with work, so, can we resume this later?"

"S-Sure. S-Sorry to bother." Giles took his exit.

Ms. Calendar shut the door behind him.

Buffy stood in front of her mirror in her bedroom, holding up a shiny black outfit. She was considering what to wear to the Bronze. "Hi! I'm an enormous slut!" She held up a blue floral dress. "Hello! Would you like a copy of 'The Watchtower'?" She lowered the dress. "I used to be so good at this."

Her mother came into the room. "Hi, hon."

Buffy returned her dresses to the closet. "Hey!"

"Are you, uh, going out tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm going to a club."

"Oh. Will there be boys there?"

"No, Mom. It's a nun club."

"Well, just be careful."

"I will."

Her mother rambled, "You know, I think we can make it work here. I've got my positive energy flowing... I'm gonna get the Gallery on its feet... Oh, uh, we may have found a space today."

"That's great."

"Oh, and that school is a, a very nurturing environment, which is just what you need."

Sure, dead kid in locker and all! What a fantastic environment. "Well, actually..."

"Oh, not too nurturing. I know, you're sixteen, I've read all about the dangers of over-nurturing."

Buffy went to her bed and laid out a couple outfits while her mother continued talking.

"It's hard. New town and everything... It is for me, too. I'm trying to make it work." She walked over and took Buffy's hands in her own. "I'm _going _to make it work."

"I know."

"Oh, you're a good girl, Buffy," She patted her on the head. "You just fell in with the wrong crowd. But that is all behind us now." If only she knew.

"It is. From now on I am only going to hang out with the living." Take that Mr. Librarian-Watcher guy and his sex kitten Technology sidekick.

They let go of each other's hands, and Buffy picked up her dresses. "I mean, lively. People." She headed back to her closet with an awkward look on her face.

"Hmm. Okay. You have fun."

Later that evening, Buffy was walking down a dark street when someone appeared behind her. She sensed that she was being followed. After walking a ways, when she got a chance, she ducked down an alley and looked around for a place to hide. A cat yowled and kicked some cans as it ran away. She spied something above her. A dark figure came into the alley but didn't see her. As he slowly walked along, Buffy was concentrating on her handstand on a bar high above the pavement. When the figure passed underneath her, she swung down and kicked him in the back. He was knocked to the ground, and Buffy positioned herself above him with a foot on his chest.

"Ah, heh. Is there a problem, ma'am?" The man asked.

"Yeah, there's a problem. Why are you following me?"

"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't bite."

Buffy backed off, letting him get up, but kept her fighting stance.

"Truth is, I thought you'd be taller, or bigger muscles and all that. You're pretty spry, though." He massaged his neck.

"What do you want?" Buffy questioned.

"The same thing you do." Evasive, much.

Buffy let her guard down. "Okay. What do I want?"

The man took a step towards her. "To kill them. To kill them all."

"Sorry, that's incorrect. But you do get this lovely watch and a year's supply of Turtle Wax. What I _want_ is to be left alone!" She started to determinedly walk away.

"Do you really think that's an option anymore? You're standing at the Mouth of Hell. And it's about to open."

Buffy stopped, and turned to him with a wide-eyed gaze.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box. "Don't turn your back on this." He tossed her the box. "You've gotta be ready."

"What for?"

"For the Harvest."

"Who are you?"

"Let's just say... I'm a friend." He started to leave.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend."

He turned back. "I didn't say I was yours." He left.

Buffy stared after him for a moment, then opened the box. It contained a silver cross and chain. She took it out, held it in her hand and took another glance in his direction.

Outside the Bronze, people arrived and met. Buffy was wearing the cross around her neck. She walked up to the entrance, gave the doorman some cash, and went in. Sprung Money was playing 'Believe' loudly, and the dance floor was crowded with people. _ "Oh, I just want to believe / Can you hear me? / Can you see me? / What's inside of me? / Oh, I just want to believe / If my life can have a purpose / Help me to believe / Oh, I just want to believe / Can you hear me? / Can you see me? / What's inside of me? / Oh, I just want to believe / If my life can have a purpose / Help me to believe"_

Buffy moved to the music a bit. She saw a guy waving in her direction and waved back, then noticed someone behind her was waving back. She pulled her hand down, embarrassed.

_"Everybody wants to find the circle / The line of truth that has no end / Because so many nights I've slept with the feeling of empty / And I say, right now I'm ready to believe"_

Buffy found the bar and saw Willow sitting there. "Hey!"

"Oh, hi."

Buffy walked around her and sat on the stool next to her.

Willow turned to face her. "Hi!"

"Oh, you're here with someone?" Maybe she'd accidentally taken someone else's seat.

"No, I'm just here. I thought Xander was gonna show up."

"Oh, are you guys going out?" Mild curiosity.

"No, we're just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up."

"How come?"

"He stole my Barbie."

Now Buffy was confused.

"Oh, we were five," Willow explained.

"Oh." All clear, now.

"I-I-I don't actually date a whole lot... lately."

"Why not?"

"Well, when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty, or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away," she answered.

"It's not _that_ bad!"

"No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk."

"You really _haven't_ been dating lately." Buffy then realized the girl must have actual dating insecurities, rather than petty ones a lot of teenagers tend to make up for attention.

"It's probably easy for you."

"Yeah, real easy." Not.

"I-I mean you don't seem too shy."

"Well, my philosophy, do you wanna hear my philosophy?"

"Yeah, I do!" Who knew, maybe it would help.

"Life is short."

"Life is short!" If only Willow could make that work for herself.

"Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know? Why waste time being all shy and worrying about some guy, and if he's gonna laugh at you. Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead." Wasn't that the truth.

"Oh, that's nice!" Dead like the kid in the locker? Willow wondered to herself.

Buffy looked up and saw Giles on the upper level. What was he, her personal brand of stalker? "Um, I'll be back in a minute." She got up to go.

"Oh, tha-that's okay, you don't have to come back." Willow knew she would bore her out of her mind, just like she did with everyone else.

Buffy smiled at her, sympathizing. The girl was so lonely. "I'll be back in a minute," she promised.

Once Buffy was gone, Willow muttered to herself, "Seize the moment."

Buffy made her way to the stairs, Sprung Monkey's music floating up with her.

_"I feel love with my friends / I feel love in my songs / If I could just hold love / Then all the answers might come / I said, oh, if we're all children of God / And we just turned away / I got a lack of belief / I said a world without faith / It's time we turn back around"_

Buffy found Giles, "So, you like to party with the students. Isn't that kinda skanky?"

"Oh, right, this is me having fun. Watching... clown hair prance about is hardly my idea of a party. I'd much rather be at home with a cup of Bovril and a good book." Giles was hardly amused with her behavior. If it was only him, that would be fine, but whatever Ms. Calendar said, he knew what Buffy had said earlier in the day had struck a cord with her.

"You need a personality, stat!"

And you need a personality check, Giles thought before jumping down to business. He pointed to the crowd below. "This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity. It's dark, it's crowded... Besides, I knew you were likely to show up, and I have to make you understand-"

"That the Harvest is coming. I know, your friend told me."

"What did you say?" Harvest? That sounded supernaturally suspicious.

"The Harvest. That mean something to you? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank."

"I'm not sure. Uh... W-who told you this?"

"This... guy. Dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way. I figured you two were buds."

"No. The Harvest. Did he say anything else?"

"Something about the Mouth of Hell. I _really_ didn't like him!"

The band had finished their song and there was a lot of applauding. Soon after, the band started their next song, "Swirl". Giles moved around Buffy, leaned on the railing, and looked down at the crowd. "Look at them, throwing themselves about, completely unaware of the danger that surrounds them."

"Lucky them."

"Or perhaps you're right. Perhaps there is no trouble coming; the signs could be wrong. It's not as though you've been having the nightmares." Maybe he and Ms. Calendar were wrong.

Buffy was silent while below the upper level, Cordelia chattered.

"My mom doesn't even _get _out of bed anymore. And the doctor says it's Epstein-Barr. I'm like, pleeease! It's chronic hepatitis, or at least chronic fatigue syndrome. I mean, _nobody_ cool has Epstein-Barr anymore."

Jesse spotted Cordelia and came over. "Hey, Cordelia!"

"Oh, yay, it's my stalker." Cordelia made a face at him.

"Hey, you, uh, you look great!"

"Well, I'm glad we had this little chat." She was begging for him to just leave her alone to be with her _cool_ friends.

Jesse coughed. "Listen, uh, you know, you wanna dance, you know?"

"With you?" He was out of his mind.

"Well, uh, yeah."

"Well, uh, no! C'mon, guys."

Cordelia and her friends left, Jesse hanging behind.

"Fine! Plenty of other fish in the sea. Oh, yeah, I'm... on the prowl. Witness me prowling!" One poor attempt at stirring jealousy.

Buffy and Giles were talking again, still on the upper level.

"I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. It's not like I have all these fluffy-bunny feelings for them, I'm just not gonna get way extracurricular with it. You know, if I see one, sure I'll-"

Giles interrupted, "Will you be ready? There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers. A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them, only then do they reveal their true demonic visage."

"You're like a textbook with arms, I know this."

"The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking, without thinking. Can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"

"Maybe..." Buffy wasn't sure, and she wasn't sure why it was so important.

"You should know. Even through this mass and this... din, you should be able to sense them. Well, try! Reach out with your mind."

Buffy looked around.

"You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle of-of-" At least he was getting somewhere.

"There's one."

"W-where?" Fright, nervousness, and Ms. Calendar – the only things that made him stutter.

"Right there, talking to that girl."

Upon looking at who Buffy was talking about, Giles doubted. "You don't know-"

"Oh, please! Look at his jacket. He's got the sleeves rolled up, and the shirt! Deal with that outfit for a moment."

"It's dated?" And perhaps Ms. Calendar's quips were true, also. Bugger it all.

"It's carbon dated. Trust me, only someone living underground for ten years would think that was still the look."

_He_ hadn't been living underground for ten years… "But you didn't... hone." He tried to cover up his embarrassment with business.

Buffy noticed that the girl that the alleged vampire was chatting up was Willow. "Oh, no."

Giles followed her gaze, recognizing the girl to be a student. "Isn't that-?"

"Willow."

"What's she doing?"

"Seizing the moment!" Buffy mentally noted to never give that advice again. She started down the stairs to rescue Willow.

"_We're formed in liquid / Pushed out still dripping / A world was thrown before my eyes"  
_

Willow was being led out of the Bronze by the vampire.

Giles simply stands there, for once at a loss for what to do.

_ "Now paint a picture / Crayon stick figures / With blue-haired people, purple skies"_

Buffy lost them. She tried the back. She broke a leg off of a chair from a stack and began to walk with heavy, determined steps. After a while, Cordelia came out of the restroom, which surprised Buffy. Buffy reacted by grabbing Cordelia by the throat and pushing her up against a wall. Finally, she recognized her. "Cordelia!" She let go.

"God! What is your childhood trauma?" Definitely blew any chance of being in after that. No wonder her last school kicked her out.

Cordelia's entourage appeared in the restroom door behind her.

"Have you guys seen Willow? Did she come by here?" Buffy asked.

"Why? Do you need to attack her with the stick? Jeez!" Cordelia sneered.

Figuring they'd serve no help, Buffy turned and headed out in the opposite direction.

Cordelia talks to her groupies, "Excuse me, I have to call _everyone_ I have _ever _met, right now."

On the main floor, Giles caught up with Buffy. "That _was_ quick. Well done! I-I need to go to the library. This Harvest thing..." Not only the library, but Ms. Calendar's class. She could be useful.

"I didn't find them!"

Giles grabbed Buffy by the arm and turned her to face him. "The vampire is not dead?"

"No, but my social life is on the critical list."

Giles let go of her. "So, what do we do?"

"I'll take care of it!" The last thing Buffy needed was for everyone to see the school librarian following her around.

"I-I-I need to come with you, yes?" So much for research.

"Don't worry. One vampire I can handle." Buffy left, walking past Jesse talking with a girl. Neither of them knew it was the vampire who had killed the boy who ended up in the locker.

"So, um, what did you say your name was?" Jesse asked.

"Darla." She-vamp answered.

"Darla. You know, I haven't seen you around before. Are you from around here?"

"No, but I have family here."

"Have I met them?" 

"You probably will."

In the Master's lair, the Master rises out of a pool of blood as Luke knelt, looking on. He stepped out of the pool, over to Luke, offering his hand.

Luke took it. "Master!"


	4. Chapter 4

In the Master's lair, the Master had newly arisen. "I am weak," he stated.

Luke quoted a scripture, "'In the Harvest, he will be restored.'"

"The Harvest."

"We're almost there. Soon you'll be free!"

The Master reached his arm out to test his mystical confines. "I must be ready. I need my strength."

"I've sent your servants to bring you some food."

"Good. Luke?"

"Yes?"

"Bring me something…young."

On the sidewalk next to the cemetery, Willow and Thomas, the vampire, are walking.

"Sure is dark," Willow stated.

"It's night," Thomas replied.

"Well, that's a dark time, night. Traditionally. I still can't believe I've never seen you at school. Do you have Mr. Chomsky for history?"

Thomas ignored her babbling, heading into the cemetery.

"Uh, the ice cream bar is this way. It's past Hamilton Street?" Poor Willow hadn't a clue what was intended of her.

"I know a shortcut." He paused, then grabbed her hand and lead her into the cemetery.

Outside the Bronze, Buffy was trying to find Willow.

"Hey, you're leaving already?" Xander asked. He'd been standing outside on his own accord.

Buffy spun to face him. "Oh, Xander! Have you seen Willow?"

"Not tonight, no."

"She left with a guy," Buffy informed. Maybe that would help jar something in his memory.

"We're talking about Willow, right? Scorin' at the Bronze, work it girl-"

Buffy interrupted, "No, I need to find her. Where would he take her?"

"Why? Oh, hey, I hope he's not a vampire, because then you might have to slay him."

Buffy was taken aback. Did _everyone_ know? First it was the librarian and the technology teacher. Now a student? "Was there a-a school bulletin? Was it i-in the newspaper? Is there anyone in this town who doesn't know I'm the Slayer?"

"No. I only know that you _think _that you're the Slayer, and the reason why I know that-" He was going to say, 'is because I was in the library when you and Mr. Giles and Ms. Calendar were talking.'

Buffy cut him off, though, "Well, whatever, it doesn't matter, just tell me, where would Willow go?"

"You're serious!" Maybe they all didn't belong in the loony bin, after all. Maybe his friend really _was_ in danger.

"We don't find her and there's gonna be one more dead body in the morning!"

Willow and the vampire were walking in the cemetery.

"Oh, okay, th-this is nice... and scary. Are you sure this is faster?" Willow asked nervously. She was starting to get the wiggins.

They reached a mausoleum.

"Hey! Ever been in one of these?" He was referring to the mausoleum.

"No. Thank you." She turned away.

"Come on." He came up behind her and pulled her hair back, tightly. "What are you afraid of?" He moved in toward her neck. She let out a yelp as he grabbed her and pushed her into the mausoleum.

Willow tripped down the stairs and stopped up against a stone coffin. She turned around. "That wasn't funny!"

Thomas came down the steps. She backed away from him, against a wall. She tripped over some stones.

"I think I'm gonna go."

"Is that what you think?" No more nice kid. He came toward her again.

Willow skirted by him, but he had let her. The vampire that Jesse had been talking to, Darla, blocked the exit of the mausoleum.

"Is this the best you could do?" She asked the other vampire.

"She's fresh!" Thomas justified.

"Hardly enough to share."

"Why didn't you bring your own?" Thomas wasn't going to have all the blame be on him.

Darla gave him a look. "I did."

Jesse stumbled into the mausoleum, holding his neck. "Hey! Wait up!"

"Oh, my God, Jesse!" Willow cried.

He was weak from blood loss and collapsed. Willow tried to catch him and broke his fall.

"Y'know, you gave me a hickey," Jesse said to Darla.

Thomas gave her a look.

Darla shrugged. "I got hungry on the way."

"Jesse, let's get outta here!" Willow cried. She would admit it, she was frightened.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Darla stated.

Willow gathered up some amount of bravery. "Leave us alone!"

"You're not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere until we've," Darla's face shifted into the feral face of vampires. "_Fed!_"

Willow screamed and fell back down next to Jesse. While the vampires are distracted, leaving the door to the mausoleum unattended, Buffy and Xander show up.

"Well, this is nice. I-it's a little bare, but a dash of paint, a few throw pillows... call it home!" Buffy moved behind the coffin to draw the vampires away from the others.

"Who the hell are you?" Darla wasn't too happy to be interrupted.

"You mean there's actually someone in this town who doesn't know already? Whew, that's a relief, I'm telling you! Having a secret identity in this town is a job of work."

"Buffy, we bail now, right?" Xander asked.

Thomas heard. "Not yet!"

"Okay, first of all, what's with the outfit? Live in the now, okay? You look like DeBarge!" Insult the vamps, distract them more. Maybe that would be Buffy's new philosophy.

The vampires closed in on her. She turned to Darla. "Now, we can do this the hard way, or... well, actually there's just the hard way."

"That's fine with me!" Darla just wanted to eat her, already.

"Are you sure? Now, this is not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content..."

Behind Buffy, Thomas roared. She pulled the chair leg out from inside her shirt. He attacked from behind, but Buffy neatly jammed the makeshift stake into his chest. He fell back and turned to ashes. Darla couldn't believe her eyes. Neither could anyone else.

"See what happens when you roughhouse?" Buffy quipped.

"He was young and stupid!" Darla was full of herself.

"Xander, go!" Buffy yelled.

"Don't go far!" Darla called after.

Buffy and Darla started to fight. Darla punched high, but Buffy blocked.

Xander helped Willow pick up Jesse.

Darla threw a backhand punch, but Buffy blocked again and followed up with a front snap kick to Darla's stomach. As Darla leaned forward from the pain, Buffy slammed her elbow into her back.

Xander and Willow helped Jesse out and they started to run.

Darla hit the wall and fell to the floor, winded.

"You know, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have some friends, y'know, maybe a dog... But, no, you had to come here, you couldn't go suck on some other town," Buffy vented.

"Who are you?" Darla asked.

"Don't you know?" Buffy retorted.

Luke had snuck in while neither Buffy or Darla were paying attention. He grabbed Buffy's neck from behind. "I don't care!" He threw her across the room, then grabbed Darla and lifted her to her feet. "You were supposed to be bringing an offering for the Master! We're almost at Harvest, and you dally with this child!" He was not too enthused with Darla.

With a frightened tone, Darla dared to reply, "We had someone, but then she came. She killed Thomas. Luke, she's strong."

"You go. I'll see if I can handle the little girl."

He approached Buffy as she started getting up. She was still a little dazed.

Darla quickly climbed the steps, looked back once, and ran out of the door.

Luke attacked Buffy with a double punch, but she blocked it and delivered a punch to his gut and a hopping front snap kick to his jaw. He stepped back, but wasn't fazed.

"You're strong," he commented. He landed a solid backhand fist on her. She went flying. "I'm stronger!"

Outside the cemetery, Xander and Willow supported Jesse as they ran.

"We'll get the police, it's just a few blocks up!" Willow stated in a rush.

They were stopped by a group of vampires.

In the mausoleum, Luke was angry, "You're wasting my time."

Buffy backed away up the stairs toward the exit. "Hey, I had other plans, too, okay?"

Luke shoved the heavy lid off of the coffin. Buffy did a cartwheel onto and over it to avoid it and kicked Luke in the chest with both feet, knocking him down. She grabbed the stake from the floor and lunged at Luke, but he was too quick for her, and grabbed her by the wrist.

"You think you can stop me? Stop us?" He grabbed the stake with his other hand and broke it. Then he grabbed her by the shirt. "You have no idea what you're dealing with." He threw Buffy onto the rim of the now open coffin. She rolled off onto the floor, dazed. Luke got up and started toward her, quoting scripture, "'And like a plague of boils, the race of man covered the Earth.'"

In the library, Giles was paging through an old volume, Ms. Calendar peering over his shoulder. He stopped on a picture of Satan with lightning coming from his hand to a man's. He and Ms. Calendar shared a look.

In the mausoleum, Luke continued his monologue, "'But on the third day of the newest light would come the Harvest. And the blood of men will flow as wine.'"

In the Master's lair, the Master was sitting in an intricately carved chair.

In the mausoleum, "'When the Master will walk among them once more.'"

Xander, Willow and Jesse were surrounded by vampires, including Darla.

Mausoleum, "'The Earth will belong to the old ones.'" Luke got up in Buffy's face. "'And Hell itself will come to town.'" He grabbed Buffy and growled. He lifted her by the throat and threw her toward the coffin.

Buffy flipped over in a front layout and landed in the coffin next to a skeleton, and let out a quick scream, but then remained silent, only breathing. She couldn't see or hear Luke. She slowly started to get up. Suddenly Luke jumped up and into the coffin. He smiled widely. "Amen!" He moved in to bite Buffy.

To Be Continued...

**AN: 'To Be Continued…' carries over to S1E2 'The Harvest', of course. Hope you enjoy.**


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